Airlines and airports say they are increasing security before the presidential inauguration next week, with Delta and other major airlines saying they will ban passengers flying to the Washington area from putting weapons in their checked bags.
The measures follow the January 6 turmoil on the United States Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump and politically dyed clashes on some flights.
Delta Air Lines was the first to announce on Thursday that it will ban gun checking at Washington area airports and was followed later in the day by United, Alaska, American and Southwest. Everyone said their prohibitions will begin on Saturday and run until the day of inauguration until 23 January.
“We are all on high alert based on the events of the past few weeks in Washington,” CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC on Thursday.
Spirit and JetBlue did not respond to requests for comment.
The airlines also announced other measures. American Airlines is bringing back the ban on serving alcohol on flights to and from the Washington area – flights dry from Saturday to next Thursday. Several airlines are relocating their hotel crews in central Washington for their safety.
Earlier this week, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that it will increase enforcement of the rules against interfering with or assaulting airline crew members or other passengers. The FAA said that in the next two months it will cease giving warnings to offenders and instead refer its cases to law enforcement for possible charges, fines and prison terms.
FAA administrator Stephen Dickson cited recent plane disturbances, adding that there has been “a trend following the Capitol breach last week”.
Leading lawmakers and the head of the country’s largest flight attendants union asked the FBI to place Capitol rebels on the federal no-fly list. An FBI spokesman declined to say whether any protesters were added to the watch list, although an FBI official said on Tuesday that such a move was being considered.
So far, it is up to the country’s airlines to prevent a flight incident from getting out of control, threatening to ban people who refuse to wear masks or ignore the orders of flight attendants.
Earlier last week, several Trump supporters at an airport and on a Salt Lake City Delta flight to Washington harassed Senator Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican who criticized Trump and voted last year to remove him from office. Bastian said the harassers were identified with the help of airline employees and other passengers.
“There are six people and they will never fly Delta again,” Bastian told the Associated Press. “They have already been notified.”
A few days later, another Republican senator, Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, was harassed at the Reagan Washington National Airport terminal after voting, in fact, to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over Trump. At the same time, Alaska Airlines said it banned 14 passengers who harassed crew members and refused to wear masks during a flight from the DC area to Seattle.
Bastian said Delta “significantly increased our security, both visible and invisible on board planes and airports”, before Biden’s inauguration next Wednesday.
American said it is also adding more security personnel at Washington area airports for the opening week and will change its boarding area ads to remind passengers to follow crew instructions and wear masks, spokesman Curtis said Blessing.
The airline is also transferring crews from hotels in the city center to hotels closer to the airports and hiring private transport for them. Last week, passengers on a bus to Reagan airport made racial slurs against a Black flight attendant, according to the union representing American flight attendants.
Travelers passing Reagan National or Dulles International Airport outside Washington should expect more police presence during the opening, said Micah Lillard, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. He declined to give details.
Jeffrey Price, an aviation security expert at Metropolitan State University in Denver, said the federal government needs to send more air agents and other personnel on planes flying to and from the DC area.
“There have been many incidents of flight interruptions and the crew should not be expected to deal with them so that they do not become violent,” he said.
A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security declined to discuss the team’s decisions on Thursday, although an announcement may be made soon.
Price also said that it is “a good idea” to ban passengers from putting weapons in their checked bags if they are flying to Washington. “After the inauguration, I think we can lift the ban on verified firearms,” he said.
Federal law allows passengers to place weapons in checked baggage if they are unloaded and in a closed and closed box, although airlines have the power to prohibit weapons. Federal law prohibits weapons or ammunition in handbags.
Two days after the Capitol riot, TSA trackers at Reagan Airport stopped a passenger who was leaving with 100 bullets in his hand luggage. It is not uncommon for people to carry weapons or ammunition in bags they intend to bring on airplanes – they generally say they forgot it was there and are rarely prosecuted – but the moment of the incident drew attention.
___
David Koenig can be contacted at www.twitter.com/airlinewriter
Copyright 2021 from the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, transmitted, rewritten or redistributed without permission.